Message from the Council President

The Council - Is All of Us

It stretches from Dutch John to Bluff to Caliente to Fairfield (as least that is one possible quartet of “corners”)—by square miles the largest of more than 300 councils in the Boy Scouts of America. And now the largest in traditional membership, too—more than 70,000 registered Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, Venturers, and Sea Scouts. In fact, the number of registered youth members is about the same as the number of square miles. And that doesn’t count the number of registered Scouters (more than 40,000, also the largest) and the number of Learning for Life participants and Explorers (more than 8,000).

While traveling the Council and meeting with Scouts and Scouters wherever I stop, I have been impressed repeatedly by the spirit that animates Scouting. It was no better expressed than a few weeks ago when I participated in the Dixie Scout Expo—a superb event in St. George chaired by Kim Hansen. As I concluded my tour of the diverse, impressive array of exhibits and activities, I stopped at the final booth. A Den Leader in uniform invited me to learn more about Brownsea Island and its place in Scouting’s history. “We let the boys go to lunch, but I’ll be glad to show you around,” she said. For the next few minutes she engaged me in a memory game (familiar to those who’ve been to Wood Badge), a tug-of-war (where I had a clear weight advantage), and a game that featured animal tracks. She pointed out that these and other activities were part of Baden-Powell’s first campout with boys—an “experiment” to test Scouting viability with boys from privileged homes and those from homes down on their luck. I received a checklist as I left and the promise that, if I found all the items on the list, when I returned to the booth, I would receive a prize.

She didn’t have to show me the exhibit. She didn’t know me and undoubtedly had better things to do, especially with the boys of her Pack gone to lunch. When I first replied to her invitation with a polite, “Oh, you don’t need to do that. I just happened to notice the booth as I was heading to my truck,” she was quick to say, “Oh, no, that’s why we’re here—so that everyone has a chance to learn more.” 

The Council is a geographic area designated by the National Council of the BSA as one where Scouting is officially available to youth. In fact, the Council has a charter from the BSA to do so, as do all of the Scouting units (Packs, Troops, Teams, Crews,, and Ships) within the Council (more than 5,100—another leading number). The leadership and membership of the Council are charged by the National Council to deliver the Scouting program to youth according to official specifications. The National Council makes available a rich array of materials for program and training, all of them calibrated to appeal to boys, young men, and young women in the context of well planned, challenging, and lively interactions with thoughtful, caring adults.   And for what purpose?—“To prepare young people to make ethical and moral decisions over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.”

Sometimes I have sensed a tension in references to the Council, as in “Oh, yeah, that’s what the Council wants” or “We do things different from the Council.” Although I understand that diverse perspectives do and should exist, and that Council leaders (especially its current president) are not without oversights and errors, it is worth remembering that Council is a name appended to a piece of geography. Those who are involved in Scouting within the Council are its face—all of us. That face was on wonderful display at the Dixie Scout Expo—as it will be frequently in the remainder of Scouting’s Centennial Year and beyond. To all in the Utah National Parks Council—Good Scouting!

Hal Miller
Council President

Archive Messages

President's Message - February 2010

President's Message - November 2009

President's Message - September 2009

President's Message - August 2009

President's Message - July 2009

President's Message - May 2009

President's Message - February 2009